This invention is directed to an improved drilling ramp for a mobile drilling rig of the type having a wheeled vehicle which is used to transport and support a drilling mast.
Mobile drilling rigs provide the important advantage of portability. They can be driven or towed to the drilling site, and then erected in a short time in order to begin drilling operations. On occasion, drilling ramps have been used to provide a solid supporting surface for a drilling rig during drilling operations. Such ramps are generally flat, rigid structures which serve to support the wheeled vehicle, including the mast mounted thereon.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved drilling ramp which provides stable and secure support for a drilling rig positioned thereon, which enables the drilling rig to be manufactured so as to maintain adequate road clearances, which includes means for simply and repeatedly positioning the drilling rig at a predetermined position on the ramp, and which provides direct and simple means for securing the lower end of a hydraulic cylinder, which cylinder is used to raise and lower a transfer arm mounted on the drilling rig.